Day 2 picks says a lot about Dalton’s future

Former LSU running back Jeremy Hill celebrates after he scored a touchdown during a Jan. 1 game against Iowa. Hill was taken No. 55 overall by the Bengals during the second round of Friday’s NFL draft.
(Photo:
Kim Klement/USA TODAY
)

Mike Brown likes leverage almost as much as he likes quarterbacks. Or maybe it’s the other way around.

For that reason, you guessed the Cincinnati Bengals might help themselves to a quarterback during Friday’s portion of the never-ending NFL draft. They didn’t. (For 2015, the league is pondering adding a fourth draft day, and pushing the whole thing back to near the end of May. Seriously. It’s all part of the league’s plan for orld domination. But we digress.)

Instead of making a pick to put some heat on Andy Dalton, they made one to keep the heat away. Drafting LSU running back Jeremy Hill gives Dalton another toy with which to play.

Meanwhile, Hill is a 6-foot-1, 230-pound bowling ball, who does what new offensive coordinator Hue Jackson likes to do: Use the running game to make the other guys say “uncle.’’

“He knows how to run the power play,” said Jackson, who flexed some power of his own in the draft room. Running back was not exactly a needy spot for the Bengals. Gio Bernard is electric and BenJarvus Green-Ellis is serviceable. (Also likely expendable.)

Running backs are not in great demand in most of the league because most of the league worships at the altar of the forward pass. The notion the AFC North is somehow more suited to “power football” is a clichéd vestige of the Jerome Bettis/Pittsburgh Steelers days. That was 15 years ago.

There is colder weather in the AFC East (in New England and Buffalo) than in the North. No one says the Patriots should make Tom Brady a complementary player.

Cincinnati had greater needs along the offensive line (center, tackle) and arguably at quarterback. That they took another running back suggests their ongoing feeling Dalton needs more help. Hill can provide that. Just ask him.

“I’m the most complete back in the draft,” he said. “I can do it all. I’m a bigger back (who can) also score 50-yard touchdowns. I can get the tough yardage. I’m a great pass catcher.”

Hill also comes with a couple of overhead bags. Police arrested him twice at LSU, most recently for hitting a guy in the head outside a Baton Rouge bar and previously for something called “misdemeanor carnal knowledge.” Yeesh.

The second arrest violated the terms of his probation from the first one, to which he pleaded guilty. Hill’s on probation until July 12, 2015.

Before you haters dust off the Bengals jokes from 2006, understand this: Hill was upfront about his transgressions, to the extent in February he sent a “very lengthy” letter to all 32 NFL teams, explaining his sins, seeking forgiveness and vouching for his character. He had no trouble talking about any of it.

“I know I don’t have any character issues. People who know me very well know I don’t have any character issues,” Hill said. “I was a young man who made mistakes. I don’t know too many young men who hasn’t made mistakes.

“I’m sure coach (Marvin) Lewis and all them read it in detail.”

Lewis said he never saw the letter. He and his staff relied on the people at LSU, who gave Hill high character marks. Hill also ran for 1,600 yards in 2013 and averaged six yards a carry. So there is that.

Regardless, Cincinnati put to rest — at least for Round 2 — the idea they’d be taking a quarterback. They still could take one later. Two other quarterbacks that might have interested the Bengals — Fresno State’s Derek Carr and Eastern Illinois’ Jimmy Garoppolo — had been taken.

If Cincinnati passes on a quarterback, they are all but saying Dalton will be their guy for this year and beyond. Any competition he faces will come from within himself.

Maybe that’s enough. To now, the Bengals have been an almost-blue chip stock. Through time, they’ll make you money but they won’t get you rich. Dalton has gotten them to the top of the playoff hill but he hasn’t planted the flag.